Chesnutt was the son of two black Americans - but his paternal grandfather was a white slave owner. As a result, Chesnutt was very light skinned - but always considered himself an African American.

Although he was not officially part of the Harlem Renaissance (because of his age) - he did write fiction, non-fiction, drama and poetry. Despite how much he wrote, writing was never a money making career for him. He was involved in the NAACP and worked with WEB Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.

"The Perplexed Nigger" is a poem about life as an educated black man, in a world where he is neither respected, trusted, nor taken seriously. It is clearly autobiographical.